The Importance of Being Earnest Review

Today I went to see Ohio Northern University’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest.  The talented Happy Anderson, who I recently interviewed on this blog, directed the show.  I must say of all of the straight plays I have seen at this school, this was definitely my favorite.  I was extremely impressed with everyone's performance and the outcome of this fantastic show.

“Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece “The Importance of Being Earnest” focuses on two bachelor friends, upper-crust dandy Algernon Moncrieff (played by Patrick Plucinsky) and the most reliable John Worthing J.P. (played by Chase Zimmerman), who lead double lives to court the attentions of the desirable Gwendolyn Fairfax (Sydney Walton) and Cecily Cardew (Molly Moreau). The gallants must then grapple with the uproarious consequences of their ruse and with the formidable Lady Bracknell (played by Sarah Kuene)” (onu.edu).

onu.edu

I was especially impressed with how well the actors portrayed their characters.  For being in the theatre department at Ohio Northern and being pretty familiar with these people, I could most definitely tell they did their homework for this show.  Their hard work combined with Happy Anderson’s brilliant direction handed this show some pretty terrific results.  Chase Zimmerman kept me laughing throughout the entire show with his countless quality facial expressions.  He and Patrick Plucinsky were a dynamic duo and constructed the comedy of the show.  Sydney Walton and Molly Moreau's characters were charming joys to watch and Sarah Kuene’s “boss” attitude definitely kept the audience on its toes.

This show was incredibly entertaining to watch and I hope the entire cast and crew is proud of their successful run.  It is a shame many of the plays and musicals at the Freed Center get overlooked and many people do not get to experience watching fantastic shows such as The Importance of Being Earnest.  Shockingly, I know some students did not even know this show was going on this weekend. If you are a student here at Ohio Northern, be sure to support the theatre department and go see these amazing shows.  A lot of people put a ton of hard work, time and energy in these shows and their talents should be recognized.  I promise that once you go, you will not regret it!